 | Alem Assefa was beaten up by unknown attackers on the Moscow metro 18 months ago. He suffered severe head injuries, and since then doctors have been trying to bring him back to normal life. The outlook is positive, but the course of treatment at a specialized hospital costs 3,000 dollars a month. |
22-year-old Alem was attacked on the eve of Hitler’s birthday. The young man’s appearance is unusual: dreadlocks and dark skin tones, which he inherited from his Ethiopian father He was born in Moscow, where he later attended a boarding school, and has a Russian passport. That fateful night Alem and his friend Kirill were returning home from work. While they were waiting for a train at Borovitskaya station, two men in their mid-twenties rushed at them and started to hit them on the head. Kirill immediately lost consciousness, but when he came to he saw one of the attackers literally jumping on Alem’s head. All that he managed to whisper was “Why?” One of the men shouted that Alem was “black”. The assailants then got on a train and left. Alem was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with severe head injuries, brain contusion, and two cerebral hemorrhages. He spent five weeks in a coma. His relatives were in despair, but the doctors from the Central Clinical Hospital helped him recover from the injuries. Still, the attack left him with a serious speech impediment. Alem is now 24. The foundation workers met with Alem’s younger brother Michael. He is only 22, but he takes care of the whole family. He works a lot, and when he is free he takes his brother for treatments. He told us about the success of the rehabilitation therapy. In doctors’ opinion, he will needs to continue the treatments for another year. A month of therapy costs about 3,000 dollars, including accommodations for Michael who takes care of his brother. The doctors hope that Alem will fully recover and return to the normal life. We are collecting donations for Alem’s treatment.
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